Economic Evaluation of Dairy Cow Stocking Density
a group of dairy cows in a shelter at feeding trough
view on EDIS
PDF-2018

Keywords

dairy
stocking density
overcrowding

How to Cite

De Vries, Albert, Haile Dechassa, and Henk Hogeveen. 2018. “Economic Evaluation of Dairy Cow Stocking Density: AN346, 8 2018”. EDIS 2018 (4). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-an346-2018.

Abstract

What is the optimal number of dairy cows in a pen after their transition period? This 4-page document discusses the economically optimal stocking density for lactating dairy cows, measured as maximum profit per stall. It also introduces a spreadsheet that can be used to calculate the effects of various inputs on the economically optimal stocking density. Written by Albert De Vries, Haile Dechassa, and Henk Hogeveen, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences, August 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an346

https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-an346-2018
view on EDIS
PDF-2018

References

Bach, A., N. Valls, A. Solans, and T. Torrent. 2008. "Associations between nondietary factors and dairy herd performance." Journal of Dairy Science 91: 3259-3267. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2008-1030

Bewley, J., R. W. Palmer, and D. B. Jackson-Smith. 2001. "Comparison of free-stall barns used by modernized Wisconsin dairies." Journal of Dairy Science 84: 528-541. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(01)74504-3

Cook, N. B. and K. Nordlund. 2002. "How environment affects cow longevity." In Proceedings of Midwest Dairy Herd Health Conference: November 12-13, 2002. 33-43. Madison, WI.

De Vries, A., H. Dechassa, and H. Hogeveen. 2016. "Economic evaluation of stall stocking density of lactating dairy cows." Journal of Dairy Science 99: 3848-3857. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2015-10556

Fregonesi, J. A., C. B. Tucker, and D. M. Weary. 2007. "Overstocking reduces lying time in dairy cows." Journal of Dairy Science 90: 3349-3354. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2006-794

Grant, R. 2011. "Taking advantage of natural behavior improves dairy cow performance." eXtension. Accessed on December 7, 2017. http://www.extension.org/pages/11129/taking-advantage-of-natural-behavior-improves-dairy-cow-performance

Krawczel, P. 2012. "Improving animal well-being through facilities management." Southern Dairy Conference, January 24, 2012. Accessed on December 7, 2017. http://www.southerndairyconference.com/Documents/2012Krawczel.pdf

Krawczel, P. and R. Grant. 2009. "Effects of cow comfort on milk quality, productivity, and behavior." eXtension. Accessed on July 26, 2018. http://articles.extension.org/pages/70107/effects-of-cow-comfort-on-milk-quality-productivity-and-behavior

Lima, F. S., A. De Vries, C. A. Risco, J. E. Santos, and W. W. Thatcher. 2010. "Economic comparison of natural service and timed artificial insemination breeding programs in dairy cattle." Journal of Dairy Science 93: 4404-4413. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2009-2789

Moore, D. A. 2010. "Stocking density: How much?" WesternDairyNews, December Vol. 10, No. 11.

Nordlund, K., N. Cook, and G. Oetzel. 2006. "Commingling dairy cows: Pen moves, stocking density, and health." In 39 Proceedings American Association Bovine Practitioners, September 20-24. 36-42. St. Paul, MN. Accessed on January 19, 2015. http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/dms/fapm/fapmtools/tci/commingling.pdf

Schefers, J. M., K. A. Weigel, C. L. Rawson, N. R. Zwald, and N. B. Cook. 2010. "Management practices associated with conception rate and service rate of lactating Holstein cows in large, commercial dairy herds." Journal of Dairy Science 93: 1459-1467. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2009-2015

USDA APHIS. 2010. Dairy 2007: Facility Characteristics and Cow Comfort on U.S. Dairy Operations, 2007. Fort Collins, CO: USDA. Accessed on December 7, 2017. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/dairy/downloads/dairy07/Dairy07_ir_Facilities.pdf

Unless otherwise specified, articles published in the EDIS journal after January 1, 2024 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.